Alternative Fuels & Propulsion RANDOM

[balthazar]

Fade to Black is a frickin masterpiece.

[G. David Felt]

Not wanting to go political, but I find this interesting as the young gop groups with over 200 individual groups on college campuses are asking the gop to act on climate change.

Young gop they say also want Tesla or other EVs rather than ice autos.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/06/politics/young-green-republicans-climate-weir-wxc/index.html

[balthazar]

Good luck on a college kid being able to swing buying a Tesla.

[ccap41]

Yep, luckily their dollar-buying-power can't be put where their mouth is. 

[Robert Hall]

51 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Good luck on a college kid being able to swing buying a Tesla.

Probably expecting the 'rents to buy one for them. 

[balthazar]

Didn’t their ‘rents just fork over $100K- 300K for their indoctrina— I mean education?

[Robert Hall]

Just now, balthazar said:

Didn’t their ‘rents just fork over $100K- 300K for their indoctrina— I mean education?

Or the kiddies got student loans...

[balthazar]

Of course. Either way: signing/co-signing a loan for a $55K car for a kid after whatever combo of cash-out/student loan... doesn’t sound like the majority case. 

[oldshurst442]

Not much different with these kids today than with the entitled kids of rich parents of the 80s and 90s. 

VW Rabbit convertibles or Bimmers back in the day versus Teslas of today. 

The more things change...

[G. David Felt]

Interesting conversation on this story at InsideEV about the build of Tesla versus Ford Mach e. Some very interesting pictures. What does the Body Shell manufacturing process tell us about the build process.

?

https://insideevs.com/news/402733/body-shells-ford-mach-e-model-y/

[oldshurst442]

4 minutes ago, dfelt said:

Interesting conversation on this story at InsideEV about the build of Tesla versus Ford Mach e. Some very interesting pictures. What does the Body Shell manufacturing process tell us about the build process.

?

https://insideevs.com/news/402733/body-shells-ford-mach-e-model-y/

I didnt understand the article. I read it but I didnt comprehend what it was saying. 

Im at work doing the night shift, I will chime in later in the night

 

[Robert Hall]

What I took from the article is the Mach E body appears to a normally manufactured car body like any other from Ford, unlike Tesla which is a bunch of aluminum sloppily glued together.   The Millenial twit that wrote the article seems to be a Tesla fanboi and biased against real automakers.  

[ccap41]

16 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I didnt understand the article. I read it but I didnt comprehend what it was saying. 

Im at work doing the night shift, I will chime in later in the night

 

It was quite meaningless. 

[G. David Felt]

4 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

It was quite meaningless. 

Upvote plus a major

You nailed it on the head. That is what I also thought when I read it and looked at the images. I was thinking along the same lines as @Robert Hall This guy is a Fanboi and clearly does not understand what the OEMs in Detroit can bring to the manufacturing process.

Hell, Rivian CEO RJ said successful business is based on not attempting to reinvent the wheel every time you bring a new product to market. As such, there is much to use from the companies of old Detroit while moving forward with new tech. I think his auto's will be better built from the beginning than Tesla. I also think not too many other companies can do it the way Tesla did, we are beyond that point now with so many companies of old moving into the EV segment.

I actually did take the following away from this. We, that being those in the tech industry can appreciate what Tesla has done to the auto industry and especially over the air updates.

GM has realized this and with their new single nervous system high speed electrical system / network will be leveraged to move forward with what I believe should be successful auto's that can compete and in some places I think will beat Tesla. AKA Trucks and SUVs.

[G. David Felt]

Today is Tesla Day due to all the news about their growth.

First, Tesla produced their 1 millionth EV.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/09/tesla-produces-1000000th-electric-car/

A 3rd party company called UnPlugged just showed that their modded Tesla 3 is beating the McLaren F1's at the track.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/10/tesla-model-3-modded-unplugged-performance-beat-mclaren-f1-racetrack-video/#more-125818

Dealer Asscoiation banded Tesla from the KC autoshow, so the local owners put on their own show in the parking lot.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/10/tesla-banned-kc-auto-show-owners-volunteer/

This next story I have to say is freaking funny. Local Texas Lexus Dealership spammed Tesla Owners saying the following:

Pretty sure Lexus auto's are full of Toyota Compromises! ? 

https://electrek.co/2020/03/10/lexus-dealer-spams-tesla/#more-125882

BMW has killed the ix3 Electric CUV as the BMW Dealers said no one wants an Electric CUV that has such limited range. The CUV was planned to come with only a 74kW battery pack, good for a pathetic range of 200km equals 128 miles in the US. The only place the ix3 will be sold is in China. The US first full fledged BMW EV is the i4 sedan now that will come with an EPA of 373 miles, though many think real world use will be close to 300 miles.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/10/who-killed-the-electric-bmw-ix3-us-dealers-wanting-longer-range/#more-125819

[balthazar]

1 million cars built, 5.7 BILLION dollars lost (since 2013).
Tesla loses 6 grand on every vehicle sold.
Given that their vehicles have 'so many less' parts with minimalist interiors and middle of the road quality inspection, AND their cars sell for $50K to $120K - that's saying something!

Edited March 11, 2020 by balthazar

[G. David Felt]

12 hours ago, balthazar said:

1 million cars built, 5.7 BILLION dollars lost (since 2013).
Tesla loses 6 grand on every vehicle sold.
Given that their vehicles have 'so many less' parts with minimalist interiors and middle of the road quality inspection, AND their cars sell for $50K to $120K - that's saying something!

Many companies have started out the first 5 to 10 years loosing money before they become profitable and they survive due to the public believing in the company. Here I believe the public has spoken about Tesla, Hate it or love it, the public believes it is the future of where auto transportation has to move too no matter what the cost of gas, oil or ICE auto's.

Clearly tech is moving it forward and companies that move forward will survive even while taking a loss in the short term compared to the long term. I honestly believe Tesla is at a tipping point where they will be able to survive and be profitable.

[balthazar]

Just now, dfelt said:

Many companies have started out the first 5 to 10 years loosing money before they become profitable and they survive due to the public believing in the company.

1. Tesla is 12 years tho, solidly past your range

2. No; that’s not how money-losing companies survive.

[ccap41]

Do you want to get rid of all the unprofitable companies? 

Edited March 11, 2020 by ccap41

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

1. Tesla is 12 years tho, solidly past your range

2. No; that’s not how money-losing companies survive.

With the amount of Investment capital being thrown around now, I think we have seen a change in long term investment and goals for tech. Tesla has changed how many start ups are run. Yes being profitable became a requirement 2 years ago, they clearly are finally able to make a profit as I do not think Tesla would be able to keep growing. 

Re-investing in themselves long term is more important than paying out a dividend and clearly investors are in agreement with this strategy.

[G. David Felt]

Seems some think the Covad19 virus will slow down the release and change to EVs.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/10/coronavirus-threatens-momentum-for-electric-vehicles/

[G. David Felt]

More Tesla News - Seems Tesla is looking at Central USA for building their CyberTruck and Semi.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/10/tesla-build-cybertruck-central-usa-possibly-texas/

Even with Covad19 virus, Tesla is moving forward with expansion to meet demand and add Semi truck and cybertruck building to the Shanghai plant on top of added battery production capacity along with all power plant production and more.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/11/tesla-gigafactory-shanghai-drone-video-massive-new-building/#more-125964

Seems that Motorcycle companies are getting into the electric bike business where they are reasonable in price, averaging $1,688 per bike. They can go 20 mph on throttle alone or 25 mph with pedal assist. Have to say, they are pretty cool bikes.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/11/csc-ft750-electric-bicycle-review-csc-motorcycles/

First Mustang Mach e review https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-mustang-mach-e-awd-suv-electric-ev-ridealong/

Have to say after reading this, I am more excited to see one in person and test drive it. I am really liking the looks of this EV!

Seems 6 out of 10 buyers for the first year are conquest buyers from other EVs.

[riviera74]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

With the amount of Investment capital being thrown around now, I think we have seen a change in long term investment and goals for tech. Tesla has changed how many start ups are run. Yes being profitable became a requirement 2 years ago, they clearly are finally able to make a profit as I do not think Tesla would be able to keep growing. 

Re-investing in themselves long term is more important than paying out a dividend and clearly investors are in agreement with this strategy.

All well and good, but Tesla needs a cheap model if they really want volume and market share.  And I mean $15K to start, not $40K to start.

[Robert Hall]

15 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

All well and good, but Tesla needs a cheap model if they really want volume and market share.  And I mean $15K to start, not $40K to start.

Maybe $25k-30k to start....there really isn't much of a market at $15k is there? 

[balthazar]

28 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Maybe $25k-30k to start....there really isn't much of a market at $15k is there? 

Not much of a market because there’s basically no product at that level.

[Robert Hall]

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Not much of a market because there’s basically no product at that level.

Can't think of a much, beyond a couple 4 cyl gray interior despair mobiles like the Mirage and Spark...

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Maybe $25k-30k to start....there really isn't much of a market at $15k is there? 

Wish there was as I think this is the market of Fresh out of College that is being ignored right now by the auto industry.

[Robert Hall]

The best $15k, 20k, 25k 30k vehicles in my opinion are a 3 yr old CPOs...just too many dull FWD 4cyl appliances under $30k.   

Edited March 11, 2020 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

5 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

The best $15k, 20k, 25k 30k vehicles in my opinion are a 3 yr old CPOs...just too many dull FWD 4cyl appliances under $30k.   

I agree with you on that about CPO's, sadly we seem to have two camps on this, ones that are all about the badge and will buy CPO and those that want new from the start, but really cannot afford it due to the debt load they are carrying from College.

Crazy that college students think they have to live the same life parents provided at home growing up or feel they have to go to some private, big name college and get a no demand education at 6 figures.

Had some interviews for job openings here in Seattle where the candidates talked up how high and mighty their Masters in European art was and ignored how it would benefit them for the actual job they were applying for. Seems that many young college students with no technical skill, thinks just because it is a masters degree, they are a shoo in for a job.

Passed on all candidates as none would really grasp the technical needs of the job we have.

[G. David Felt]

GM has updated web page on their new EV modular platform, Ultium Batteries and more. Good info, nice pictures of the tech.

https://www.gm.com/our-stories/commitment/ev-battery-modular-technology.html

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, dfelt said:

 

Had some interviews for job openings here in Seattle where the candidates talked up how high and mighty their Masters in European art was and ignored how it would benefit them for the actual job they were applying for. Seems that many young college students with no technical skill, thinks just because it is a masters degree, they are a shoo in for a job.

 

Well, my Masters degree is in Computer Science.  It's served me well the last 25+ years...degrees that are relevant to growth fields are always a good idea..

Edited March 11, 2020 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

1 minute ago, Robert Hall said:

Well, my Masters degree is in Computer Science.  It's served me well the last 25+ years...

Yup, Masters is the new entry point for the Tech Industry it seems now. So glad I am not just starting out my career.

[Robert Hall]

Just now, dfelt said:

Yup, Masters is the new entry point for the Tech Industry it seems now. So glad I am not just starting out my career.

Quite different now for starting out than in the 90s I would think..

[riviera74]

4 hours ago, balthazar said:

Not much of a market because there’s basically no product at that level.

If Tesla (or a competitor) is smart, they they would aim at $15K-$20K in order to persuade buyers out of the used car market in favor of a new car.  Few new cars sell for less than $20K these days.  SOMEBODY should see this as a grossly underserved market ripe for the taking, and then build that customer up into higher level vehicles.  Just like GM used to do from 1920-1980.

[G. David Felt]

14 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

If Tesla (or a competitor) is smart, they they would aim at $15K-$20K in order to persuade buyers out of the used car market in favor of a new car.  Few new cars sell for less than $20K these days.  SOMEBODY should see this as a grossly underserved market ripe for the taking, and then build that customer up into higher level vehicles.  Just like GM used to do from 1920-1980.

Chinese have EVs that are in that price range new as does Japan and South Korea. Americans have decided for an entry level price in the EVs they want 300 miles of range. For ICE auto's seems college kids want their parents luxury auto but cannot afford it. Not sure as much as I believe they need to have them that with all the crazy nanny safety devices you can get a 10 to 15K auto built like they do in the asian rim.

[ccap41]

14 hours ago, riviera74 said:

If Tesla (or a competitor) is smart, they they would aim at $15K-$20K in order to persuade buyers out of the used car market in favor of a new car.  Few new cars sell for less than $20K these days.  SOMEBODY should see this as a grossly underserved market ripe for the taking, and then build that customer up into higher level vehicles.  Just like GM used to do from 1920-1980.

There's probably a reason there aren't many car sales under 20k, because it's difficult to price something that low with all of the regulatory costs(and the obvious engineering/testing costs). I can't imagine they could fit 150 miles worth of range in a vehicle and be able to price it under 20k...yet. 

They all used to have a cheap-o vehicle but the margins on those vehicles are so tight that a sales dip(people transitioning to SUVs) can greatly effect the bottom line. 

[G. David Felt]

Seems that Bollinger Motors is truly taking a different route on their EV Trucks and SUVs as they have got their skateboard platform certified as a Class 3 platform which exempts it from crash testing and other requirements especially in safety gear as Rivian and Tesla will be held too.

Bollinger Motors will be selling their Class 3 platform to companies who want to make mid level Class 3 commercial vehicles.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1127425_bollinger-motors-teases-commercial-potential-of-its-electric-truck-chassis

Class 3 commercial trucks weigh from 10,000 to 14,000 lbs. Two battery choices for the platform is 120 kWh or 180 kWh.

Seems Ford Mach e is having fun in the snow. They have released a new video of the Mach e.

Pictures and more info here: https://electrek.co/2020/03/12/ford-mustang-mach-e-winter-testing-footage-ev-market/

Ford says first deliveries of the Mach e to the US and Europe will happen in October 2020.

[G. David Felt]

Seems Nissan is moving forward with joining the SUV EV segment. The Ariya Concept is green lighted to become the new EV SUV for Nissan globally.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/nissan-ariya-electric-suv-design-grille/

Guess the next wave will be butched up cars as SUVs. Weird

With the European introduction of the Mach e, Ford is culling dealers as it moves to an OnLine model of ordering. Ford believes if someone wants to test drive first, they will be willing to drive the extra distance to one of their focused large dealers as Ford kills off the small mom n pop stores.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2020/03/fords-european-future-far-fewer-dealers-more-online-sales/

[G. David Felt]

Interesting EV news.

November 2019 VW started ID3 ev production but deliveries would not start till Summer 2020. Since then VW has acknowledged that the reason for hording the EVs is the software was not complete to their standards and now that they are in final testing mode, will look to deliver 30,000 ID3 EVs at the start of delivery as production continues to ramp up. On top of this, the EV will be cheaper than the Gas equal Golf and on par to the cost of a Golf Life.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/13/vw-id3-electric-car-cheaper-than-gas-cars/#more-126388

Tesla Y is finally getting delivered and the first pictures are out showing a better interior and hidden compartments for storage. I honestly think the interior is on par with Chevrolet entry level auto's and is a copy of how GM has used hidden storage compartments for years. I really do not see anything ground breaking on the interior.

https://electrek.co/2020/03/12/tesla-model-y-pictures-reveals-secret-compartment-interior-look/#more-126284

Interesting read on how wallstreet says EV adoption is now decoupled from gas auto's due to the drop in gas prices. Interesting read, I think the one thing still is the much cheaper maintenance and the desire for tech by younger people over tinkering with an ICE auto.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1127438_will-cheaper-gas-slow-tesla-s-surge

Cheap gas is great for now, but will not stop me from moving to EVs once the full size EVs are out.

[ccap41]

I don't think hidden compartments are a copy of anybody... 

[G. David Felt]

Just now, ccap41 said:

I don't think hidden compartments are a copy of anybody... 

All of my GM SUVs have had them in the same place that Tesla put theirs and they are much older than this model Y.

[ccap41]

34 minutes ago, dfelt said:

All of my GM SUVs have had them in the same place that Tesla put theirs and they are much older than this model Y.

Under the cargo floor? That's in a ton of vehicles. Maybe GM did the first but it certainly isn't exclusive to them. 

[G. David Felt]

Some cool speed freak auto comes from Apex AP0 EV that weights 2,645 pounds and is faster than a McLaren 720S and is 500lbs lighter than it too.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/14/apex-ap-0-electric-track-car-augmented-reality/

Seems the Iconic London Black cab has become the hot new Delivery van of Europe but as a Hybrid van from Geely.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/13/geely-london-black-cab-hybrid-delivery-van/

To quote the story: Although full technical specifications remain under wraps, the fact that the VN5 shares its mechanical components with the TX suggests it's fitted with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that consists of a turbocharged, 1.5-liter three-cylinder borrowed from Volvo and set up as a range extender. It sends the electricity it generates to a 33-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack that in turn zaps a 110-kilowatt motor into motion. The VN5 is capable of driving for up to 63 miles on electricity alone, a figure that will allow owners to avoid paying to drive into London's emissions-free zone, and its total driving range with a full charge and a full tank checks in at 301 miles.

[G. David Felt]

Solid State Battery Break through by Samsung. Half the size of traditional batteries with 500 mile range and guaranteed 1,000 times recharge cycle with no cell death.

https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-presents-groundbreaking-all-solid-state-battery-technology-to-nature-energy

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-03-groundbreaking-all-solid-state-battery-technology.html

March 9th,  SAIT (Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology) and SRJ (Samsung R&D Institute Japan) presented their findings on long lasting all solid state batteries to Nature Energy, the world's leading scientific journal.

By having such safe solid state batteries that can handle repeated charging at half the size but considerable density of power you remove range anxiety all-together and bring about battery packs that can go way beyond 100,000 miles. This brings up the million mile battery pack desire Tesla and others have talked about.

Samsung believes they will have this battery pack in production, in auto's as well as all types of electronics by mid 2020's.

Graphic to show the differences between today's Lithium-Ion battery and solid state.

 

[G. David Felt]

Kewl review of the FIRST Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S10 Electric pickups that were built and sold from 1998 to 2001. Tech from the EV1 was used in the S10 and yet Ford actually went from traditional lead acid batteries to Nickel Metal Hydride which increased range and reduce weight. Cool to see what was done before what is coming now.

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/03/16/chevy-s10-ford-ranger-electric-pickup-truck-retrospective/

[ykX]

MotorTrend

Volvo FE Electric Shows Why Truckers Are Going Electric

[G. David Felt]

Very cool more details on GM BEV3 platform and the Ultium Battery system.

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/gm-shows-12-future-evs-new-ultium-battery-system/

7 minutes ago, ykX said:

MotorTrend

Volvo FE Electric Shows Why Truckers Are Going Electric

Awesome read, thanks for posting. It clearly highlights why truck drivers love the EV models. Makes total sense especially in inner city needs.

[G. David Felt]

Daimler has anounced they will be building out a medium/heavy duty semi truck charging network in the US/Europe with Japan to follow.

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/daimler-launches-charging-infrastructure-program-for-electric-trucks/

[G. David Felt]

Excited that the industry is finally standardizing on EV connectors so that even in the DIY area, you can get quality connections and not have to look to soldering or other type of crimp cable connections.

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/royal-introduces-new-battery-connectors-and-conductors-for-evs/

[G. David Felt]

Good Review on the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid that they say drives like and sounds like a pure electric.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1127475_first-drive-review-2020-honda-cr-v-hybrid-teases-an-ev-experience-with-no-charge-port

Seems more reviewers are liking the CR-V hybrid.

https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/32540/2020-honda-cr-v-hybrid-review-when-very-good-isnt-quite-enough